


Denial

by Phoenix_Down



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Day 6, Denial, Gladnis Week 2018, M/M, Mutal Pining, Noct and Prom to the rescue
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-26
Updated: 2018-08-25
Packaged: 2019-07-02 14:26:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,553
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15798393
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Phoenix_Down/pseuds/Phoenix_Down
Summary: Captain's log, stardate 754. We have found the accused and we are interrogating him now. He is charged with being in love with his best friend and denying it to his prince. This is a treasonous offence and could be charged with being locked in a cupboard with his desired to see if they can get it…"Prompto!"Prompto stopped the recording and looked over at Noctis and a rather perplexed Ignis. "Yeah?""Shut up."





	Denial

The apartment was dark, curtains still drawn shut despite the lateness of the day. Rolling his eyes at the negligence of his charge, Ignis instead walked into the kitchen and set his bags on the counter. Forgoing the emptying of the bags in favour of some light, Ignis then crossed the main room and headed for the curtains, calling down the hallway towards Noctis' room as he passed.

"Noct? Isn't it about time you got up now? We have a lot to get through today." He reached the curtains covering the big main room window that overlooked Insomnia and pulled them back, bathing the room in light. Tying them back, he turned around.

"Ignis."

Ignis jumped not expecting anyone to call his name, at least not his prince, fully dressed and sitting in a chair. His back was ramrod straight and he was holding a can of ebony.

"Noctis, you startled me…" he frowned as the realisation kicked in. "What were you doing sitting in the dark?"

Noctis just held out the can of coffee. "We need to talk."

Ignis raised a sceptical eyebrow. "I have to put the perishables in the refrigerator before they get too warm."

Noctis just waved his hand dismissively which further fuelled Ignis scepticism. This wasn't like Noctis at all.

"Prom?" he called tilting his head slightly towards a figure lurking in the corner.

"On it," the blonde chirped happily and Noctis scowled.

"Please sit down. Coffee?"

Ignis heaved a sigh and with a furtive glance over at Prompto to ensure he was putting everything away in their proper places he accepted the coffee and sank into the chair. "Have I done something wrong?"

"It's not a matter of what you have done, it’s more of a case of what you haven't done."

Ignis opened his eyes wide as he wracked his brain for something, anything he might have forgotten to do. He had been a little lax of late, what with his highness' graduation. But that was just to give Noctis some breathing room before he started his royal duties full time at the end of summer. "Your Highness if you are looking to lodge a formal complaint about my services as your royal adviser then I kindly ask that Prompto not be in the room…"

Noctis' composure dropped. "What? Gods Specs, I'm not firing you jeez, I'm just trying to have a serious conversation with you."

Ignis inwardly sighed and stared down at the can of coffee in his hand. He cracked it open and took a sip, he might need more than one of these if Noctis was going to continue trying to send him to an early grave. "Forgive me Noct, you just seem to be full of surprises today."

"Hey, Ignis!" Prompto called from the kitchen. "Sorry to interrupt, but where do you store vegetables?" He held up the bag of carrots looking perplexed.

"The carrots go in the fridge, but the potatoes go in the cupboard," Ignis called back at the same time Noctis called; "In the trash!"

Ignis watched relieved as Prompto followed his directions and not Noctis' before turning back. "What is this about Noctis? 

"Well…" Noctis adopted his serious tone of voice again, back up straight against his chair. "Prompto and I have reason to believe that you have been holding back."

"Holding back?" Ignis spluttered. He didn’t think there was anything else he could be doing for Noctis. He already cooked, cleaned, shopped and attended meetings for the prince as well as any other errand he required. Any more would mean Ignis would have to cut back on things like sleep or astrals forbid, training with Gladio. And Ignis really didn't want to give up his thrice-weekly sparring sessions with Gladiolus Amicitia. Seeing the older man, all sweaty and grunting as Ignis gave him a run for his money was the highlights of Ignis' week. Not that he would ever admit that to anyone.

Noctis rolled his eyes. "Not like that, what I mean is…"

"Wait for me!" Prompto called, popping up from behind the counter where he'd been putting some tins away. He folded the paper bags and placed them in the recycling, before pulling out his phone and walking towards the pair.

"Captain's log," he said into his phone almost like he was making a recording. "Stardate 754. We have found the accused and we are interrogating him now. He is charged with being in love with his best friend and denying it to his prince. This is a treasonous offence and could be charged with being locked in a cupboard with his desired to see if they can get it…"

"Prompto!" Noctis called out, curtailing whatever crude thought Prompto was going to say.

Prompto stopped the recording and looked over at Noctis and a rather perplexed Ignis. "Yeah?"

"Shut up."

Prompto nodded and mimed locking up his lips and throwing away the key, before perching on the edge of the couch with his phone practically under Ignis nose.

Ignis pushed the phone away and glared at Noctis. "Is that really necessary?"

"Yes," Noctis replied rather matter-of-factly. "Now then, to business. As I was saying Prompto and I have reason to believe that you are holding out on us. Not in a work sense, you do way too much of that, but that's a conversation for another day. No, Prompto and I think you've been keeping something from us. Something like your feelings on a certain member of our group."

Ignis' eye twitched and he placed the can of Ebony on the small table beside their chairs. "Listen I apologised for that time I accidentally hit Prompto over the head with my satchel, I hadn't realised he'd crouched down behind me to take a photo of a family of squirrels…"

"No, you're not listening to me. You like someone in our group."

"I like all of you, I thought we were friends…"

Noctis bit back a groan.

"Do you like Gladio?" 

"Gladiolus Amicitia?"

"No Gladiolus Sinclair Von Marie. Of course, I mean Gladiolus Amicitia."

"What about him?"

"Do you like him?"

"Well yes, he's my friend…"

"No! Argh… You are both as bad as each other!" Noctis exclaimed. Why was getting two people to confess they like each other so hard. Ignis and Gladio had been flirting with each other for months and neither of them was making a move. Noctis was fed up and had staged this intervention in the hopes he'd finally get them to confess. He just didn't expect how torturous for him it was going to be.

"Noctis I honestly don't see what this has to do with anything. Now tell Prompto to head home because we have a busy day ahead of us…"

All I want in as an answer. Yes or no," After the ordeal, he had trying to get Gladio to confess three days ago, Noctis wasn't playing any games. "Do you, or do you not like Gladio, in a way that would make you want to date him."

"Noct I really don't…"

"Specs if you answer this question truthfully I promise you I will do everything that you ask and will eat my vegetables for a day and attend whatever crummy function you need me too without fuss. But please, just humour me with an answer because I am up to here with seeing you both give each other eyes, or flirt or just live in denial."

Ignis blinked at the outburst and searched Noctis face. "Fine," he sighed dejectedly. "Yes, I like Gladio, have done for a few years now but have never acted on it because he obviously doesn't like me in that way."

Prompto and Noctis shared a grin. "Let him hear it," Noctis said and Prompto nodded, switching over to his recorded messages and playing one that was made three days earlier.

" _Yes_ ," Gladio's voice was solemn but it still made Ignis' stomach flutter. " _But he doesn't like me that way so I have no hope in Niflheim even getting a look in so there's no point. But if you tell anyone, especially Ignis, I will tear you apart, put you back together and still make you run laps with me every morning. Prince or no, this is my personal life!_ "

The recording ended and the three men sat in silence. Noctis and Prompto hardly daring to breathe as they watched Ignis process this new information.

"Please tell me this isn't some sick joke the three of you are playing on me…" he started with a shake of his head. He pushed his chair back and stood up. "Playing with someone else's feelings is cruel Noct and I thought I had taught you better. If this turns out to be a prank then so help me I will make the rest of your life a misery…"

He glared at them both, before turning on his heal. He tried to make it to the door, to slam it and go get some air, but something stopped him. Something, or rather, someone; big, strong and handsome stepping out of the hallway and blocking Ignis' path. Someone Ignis didn't know he wanted to see until he was standing right in front of him.

"Gladio…" he breathed and the man in question looked down at him and smiled.


End file.
